Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" was composed in 1874 as a tribute to his friend, the painter and architect Victor Hartmann, who had died the previous year.
Composition History
Thomas Buchholz's "Feininger-Fraktale" was commissioned in preparation for the 2019 Bauhaus anniversary, inspired by Lyonel Feininger's fugal compositions.
Notable Performances
Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" was performed in Dessau in 1928 with stage designs by Bauhaus master Wassily Kandinsky, illustrating the music with lines, colors, and movement.
Compositional Technique
Lyonel Feininger, a painter and master of the Bauhaus School, composed fugues that were a serious exploration of Baroque formal structures, despite lacking formal counterpoint knowledge.
Compositional Technique
The "Promenades" in Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" connect the pieces and represent the viewer's changing mood, all based on a typically Russian pentatonic melody.
Performer Biography
Markus L. Frank, the conductor on this album, began his musical career as a horn player, winning prizes in international competitions before studying conducting.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Composer Thomas Buchholz used only rudiments of Lyonel Feininger's fugue themes, altering them to create new, independent themes for his "Feininger-Fraktale" orchestral cycle.
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